We have inherited many legacies from WORLD WAR 1, "THE GREAT WAR FOR CIVILISATION" - "TRENCH ART" is one such legacy.......

Individual souvenirs and trophies of combat usually emerge from any war, but during World War 1 "soldier artwork" became its own art form, due to mass production of items by the vast numbers of the participants of the war.

Items were defined as "trench art" after a WW1 French newspaper competition awarded prizes in a competition for the most creative objects crafted from battlefield debris, by -"the craftsmen of the trenches" or " artisanat de tranchées"

Individual and unique pieces were often crafted on a made-to-order basis for combatants to commemorate their war experience, maybe for a loved one or family member....or sometimes commissioned by the family as a memory item for a life sacrificed. Mass produced items were made for visiting battlefield pilgrims or tourists, also many designs fashioned well into the 1920's and the art noveau period. Genuine relics discovered to-day are around 100 years old, and have survived the trauma of previous decades when metals were highly sought-after for munitions or other industrial needs.

This site opens a small glimpse into a world of unusual and emotional memory souvenir relics, crafted from battlefield debris, bullets, shells, shrapnel, mines, with naval and zeppelin relics, aircraft debris, brass, copper, aluminium, wood, bone, beads, leather, cloth, silks, bakerlite, stone, clay, resins; in fact, whatever material the human soul fashions when called upon by Fate, to face an immediate and uncertain future path....

The SITE MAP for this website is linked below, after these images......